1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a cleaning method and apparatus. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning a large surface area. No soaps or solvents are required, and a substantial portion of cleaning water is recovered for reuse. Embodiments of the present invention also relate to obstacle clearance and/or recovery systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that the following discussion refers to a publication that due to recent publication date is possibly not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publication herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publication is prior art for patentability determination purposes.
Since the U.S. Navy first introduced the aircraft carrier, keeping the large deck area clean has proven challenging and costly. This is particularly true since the various aircraft which use the deck often leak oils, greases, and other fluids onto the deck. This impairs the ability of aircraft to gain proper traction which results in pilots struggling to maintain full control of their aircraft. In response, the Navy has expended vast sums of money and manpower to manually apply soap and water to the deck and then scrub the entire surface with brushes. Since the surface area of the decks of aircraft carriers are very large, substantial amounts of soap are required to clean them. The cost of soap for one aircraft carrier alone can amount to nearly $70,000 per deployment. Further, manually soaping and scrubbing the entire deck of an aircraft carrier impedes the use of the deck by aircraft during the extensive cleaning process, thus resulting in down time for the ship.
While various vehicles are known to be of use for cleaning surfaces, none of the known systems enable a user to continuously recycle virtually all the water used by using solid-liquid and liquid-liquid cyclones as well as strainers and/or a self-flushing filter. U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,801, to Clemons, Sr. describes one such system. The disclosure of that patent, however, is directed to a very large vehicle which relies primarily on filters to achieve water recycling. Those skilled in the art readily recognize that the Clemons, Sr. design is highly susceptible to filter clogging. A system which relies primarily on filters for the purpose of continuous water recycling has the serious drawback of repeatedly requiring a user to remove and clean filters after operation of the vehicle for only short periods of time. As such, the vehicle of Clemons, Sr. not only is inefficient and maintenance prone, but is also a very large and bulky vehicle.
Other cleaning vehicles known in the art are typically very large and must carry two water tanks onboard to sustain operation. A first tank is generally a clean water tank and a second is typically a recovery tank. An embodiment of the present invention eliminates the use of a clean water tank and uses an air-water recovery system.
None of the known prior art vehicles provide a soapless/brushless solution for cleaning large surface areas. Because embodiments of the present invention can recycle the water that is used, discharge regulations which exist for certain areas are more easily complied with. Other embodiments of the invention utilize a brush-membrane system.
There is thus a present need for a mobile cleaning, reclamation, and recycling apparatus that enables a user to recycle virtually all of the water used through the efficient use of cyclones within a compact and mobile unit.